This year, i'm guilty of buying belated gifts. Belated birthdays, belated christmas's...you name it, i've done it. But honestly, how does anyone have to time anymore to spend hours in a crowded mall searching for the perfect gift for your loved ones? Between FYP and spending time with my family, i have no time WHATSOEVER to buy gifts this year. um.... i guess i'll be giving out I.O.U's ya?

Recieved this box of wholesome goodies recently from InTheBox, sitting on my doorstep with a little box-ribbon and my name on it. I ripped it open and was honestly impressed by the thought that went behind curating the package itself. (Everything inside made me feel so comfy and tingly) Packaged inside: a gorgeous scent labelled "Ocean Breeze", a crafty paper lantern from MakeRoom.co, a yummy vegan cookie, a lip balm, box of tea, shower gels, Moringa powder..... and OH YES! a complimentary yoga class. Can't leave that out. PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT, i thought. (Ma, if you're reading this: that's for you)

To be painfully honest?—I'm really not the type who'd make the effort to buy gifts of different types of makeup or jewelry because aha, there's a question of taste. My selection may not necessarily be most ideal for someone else. I'm tired of the usual gifts like clothes and earrings, I spend most of the days in the year (and money) buying alllllll of that and i'm sure everyone else has else well, am i right? I try my best to be eco-friendly most of the time but some products on it's own is just too costly for me to splurge on. And yes i know, we've all heard of monthly boxes like this yada yada but i think what makes this Box so special to me is that everything inside is just so.....wholesome. Definitely a nice change to all the nonsense we've been buying & putting into our bodies for the past 300 days.

Definitely gonna purchase next month's box! can't wait to see what's in store for this birthday girl

Weekends for me can either make or break my whole week. I love having free weekends with absolutely no work to do with no things to shoot so that i can take all that lost time during the week to catch up with the people i love. A few weekends ago, i decided to invite everyone over to have a feast! I'm no chef, really, but there's just something about cooking for people you love. In the afternoon, we cooked a REALLY late breakfast with wraps and eggs and lotttttts of mushrooms (thanks to our fungi chef, jj). It was a frantic mess in the kitchen, with four people each trying to fight for the saucepans. Dishes were starting to stack up but we had our handy dandy dishwasher to whizz them away. Thanks for keeping my kitchen clean, Martin. I'm proud to say that my chicken and mango wraps were a hit!!!!

We cooked again in the evening for the rest of the gang. took us a while to figure out what we should feed them and thought, the good ol' spaghetti and pizza can never go wrong with boys. We were right! Gathered round my new tv and watched a couple of movies, drank lots of Moscato and stuffed our faces with brownies. It was pretty perfect. Definitely looking forward to cookouts with the people i love.

I've been terribly busy with FYP and all i can say is that i'm glad that i have not messed up thus far. It's been a whirlwind of emotions and many days with horrible sleep but i know that everything will be worth it. Hang in there with me! i'll be sure to start posting again x

Everyone has people they are grateful for and here are mine. These are the people who've left me laughing till my stomach ached, who've shared midnight Mcdonalds meals with me, who've seen me cry till there were no tears left and who've also sat through each others' darkest hours. Our friendship, though formed very unconventionally, is truly divine and also a mark of how He sees us through the dry seasons, even if we felt like He didn't exist anymore. This past one year has felt like a dreadful walk through the wilderness, but ironically also a very eventful twelve months. Though i may have failed a few times, got my heart broken and lost a few friendships; I've met so many wonderful people, landed the internship of my dreams but most importantly: I've grown up.

And though it is *JUST OCTOBER*, it hardly ever is too late to look back to reflect. In a mere two months, 2014 will be over and then comes a fresh start. Graduation, turning twenty one and stepping into the working world are only a few things i can think of from the back of my head that will be significant changes for the coming year. I'm REALLY excited for all of that but first, let's make these last two months of 2014 count.

I spent my weekend away from my phone, which might be the sole reason i had such an awesome two days. Free from social media (besides the updating of instagram, once or twice), free from whatsapp, f-r-e-e. I apologise if i took a long time to reply to emails, texts etc. I thought of how being on my phone practically all the time has made me such a sad person. It really has, and it took me so long to realise. I'd check instagram, whatsapp, twitter and facebook almost every five minutes. It's mindless and most importantly: it sucks the life out of you. I threw my phone aside. I made myself a nice cup of tea, threw on some boxers and spent the day watching countless episodes of Sex and The City. I practically lazed around all day but with the consciousness of being......free. I observed the way the sun danced down on my curtains, the soft purring of jewel from the sofa, the distant chatter of people from below and it was pleasantly comforting. I felt my spirits being lifted and my soul well, a bit of my soul came back again. It's time we start shifting our eyes away from our phones and onto what the world has to offer, instead.
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P.S: the lovely dudes at HOBOcult.com has kindly invited me to write up a post on their site about my experience with film but most importantly, my adventures with a disposable camera! Stay tuned, the post should be out this week

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Palais Renaissance, is one of my favourite spots to frequent and have coffee and CAKE. I was so pleased when the waiter let us sit outside because i really like dining alfresco because 1) Good lighting for my instagram picture (guilty as charged) and 2) the fresh air does me good every now and then.

I'll let you in on a secret: P.s Cafe is one of my ideal *DATE* location i've fantasized about countlessly and have definitely gushed about one too many times to Annette (sorry boo). The first time i came with a few friends and we devoured their truffle fries. "Doesn't it feel like we're at some cafe overlooking central park? someone said, and i couldn't agree more. Maybe it's me, or the excessive reruns of Sex and the City i've been watching but P.s Cafe certainly makes me feel very carrie bradshaw-esque?! Does it not?

I'm all for the cafe culture, which is pretty common in singapore, but i do have my doubts about certain places. P.s cafe, is not one of it. Of everything to talk about, Ambience is the first.You get moms feeding their kids over coffee with friends, couples who argue occasionally and first dates with the "no-let-me-get-the-bill" dance and then there's me..... in the corner with one of my closest friends, stuffing our faces with our favourite double chocolate cake and truffle fries and talking about our latest happenings in our lives. It's our thing, like: i need to tell you about so and so omg CAN WE HAVE TRUFFLE FRIES PLEASE?!

So, again we go: the ambience? on point. Quiet, but not too quiet. You get huuuuuge plants in the middle of the place both indoors and out, and their beautiful tiles + marble finishings. The food? divine. Especially their coffee, SUPER rich. But you must be wondering.....the price? Slightly steep and more than what you'd pay at an average cafe but it's definitely worth every cent. Every time.

note to self: Next visit to P.s, I promise i'll *TRY* not to order their cake and fries AGAIN, hehe